© Geoff’s Rail Diaries 2011 A tradition has developed in the Shropshire Railway Society over the years - an "escape the turkey" trip immediately after Christmas, using local trains. This year's plan was to use a Mid-line Day Rover to explore the West Midlands.... at least, that was the plan before the snow fell. Conveniently, I would be able to drive my son to the station - he had booked a ticket for Edinburgh, on the 9.21am from Wolverhampton The day dawned to an unfamiliar scene - about four inches of snow had fallen during the night. A slightly hairy journey to the station (not helped by those people who felt the only safe way to drive was at 15mph on straight, level stretches, slowing down for bends of course...) My son's train was cancelled. The next Edinburgh train would be at 11.19, but when the 8.48 to Glasgow arrived (running about an hour late) I suggested he should get on and get an Edinburgh train from Glasgow Queen Street. Sadly, the guard persuaded him to get off at Carlisle, where, after waiting for 3½ hours, he decided to get on another Glasgow train and follow my advice. (The 11.19 had broken down somewhere, and nothing else seemed to make it to Carlisle...) He finally got to Edinburgh at around 9pm, poor thing. After taking a few photos at Wolverhampton, we took a ride to Stafford, on a class 175 which had arrived from the north. I think it should have gone to New Street first, but I think it was running a little late. Several of our colleagues had gone to Birmingham,  expecting the working to be 37-hauled - they had planned to ride on it. We never saw them again that day... Stafford was reasonably busy - sadly, no freight trains passed while we were on the station - but after a while the snow clouds gathered again, so we decided to head for Birmingham on the next non-Virgin working. This turned out to be another North Wales coast train, hauled by 37 421, which gave us an interesting  journey via Wolverhampton, Bescot and Aston, entering New Street from the east (to avoid reversal for its return working). Suitably fed and watered, we took a look at the remains of Low Level station before returning to Wolverhampton's remaining station where, after a few more snaps, a Shrewsbury-bound train arrived. The light would soon be going so we boarded it and headed for home. Links: • Shropshire Railway Society • The "Great Western" - the building; the pub